Multiple field boundary data sets in an automated crop recordkeeping system

ABSTRACT

A method includes defining a plurality of crop field boundaries such that an area of land falls within each of the plurality of field boundaries. The method further includes maintaining the plurality of crop field boundaries within the crop recordkeeping system, using a first of the crop field boundaries in performing a first function of the crop recordkeeping system executing on a computer, and using a second of the crop field boundaries in performing a second function of the crop recordkeeping system executing on the computer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to crop recordkeeping. More particularly,but not exclusively, the present invention relates to crop recordkeepingwhich maintains multiple different boundaries associated with one ormore crop fields.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is widespread use of maps and Global Positioning System (GPS) datain agriculture. Yet problems remain. Of particular interest is how tobest use available data such as production data in a crop recordkeepingsystem. One problem which is encountered relates to the use of a fieldboundary. Historical practices have relied on a fixed field boundary inkeeping records and creating reports. The fixed field boundary may basedon hand mapped GPS data, historical U.S. Geological Survey maps and landownership maps.

What is needed is a crop recordkeeping system which allows formaintaining a plurality of different boundaries in order to beselectively used in supporting various crop recordkeeping and relatedfunctions.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Instead of attempting to establish permanent field boundaries, it isrecognized that there is the potential for advantages in variouscontexts where multiple field boundaries are obtained. According to oneaspect, a method includes defining a plurality of crop field boundariessuch that an area of land falls within each of the plurality of fieldboundaries. The method further includes maintaining the plurality ofcrop field boundaries within the crop recordkeeping system, using afirst of the crop field boundaries in performing a first function of thecrop recordkeeping system executing on a computer, and using a second ofthe crop field boundaries in performing a second function of the croprecordkeeping system executing on the computer.

According to another aspect, a crop recordkeeping system includes a croprecordkeeping system executing on a computer, wherein the croprecordkeeping system provides for (a) defining a plurality of crop fieldboundaries such that an area of land falls within each of the pluralityof field boundaries, the plurality of field boundaries comprising afirst crop field boundary and a second crop field boundary, (b)maintaining the plurality of crop field boundaries within the croprecordkeeping system, (c) using the first crop field boundary inperforming a first function of the crop recordkeeping system executingon a computer, and (d) using the second crop field boundary inperforming a second function of the crop recordkeeping system executingon the computer.

According to another aspect, a method of managing data in croprecordkeeping software executing on a computer includes defining aplurality of crop field boundaries such that an area of land fallswithin each of the plurality of field boundaries, the plurality of fieldboundaries comprising a first crop field boundary and a second cropfield boundary, maintaining the plurality of crop field boundarieswithin the crop recordkeeping system, and using the plurality of cropfield boundaries in performing functions of the crop recordkeepingsoftware executing on the computer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer with a recordkeepingsystem which is in operative communication with a data store containinga plurality of boundary sets.

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B provide a flow chart illustrating one example of amethodology.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show examples of a production boundaries.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B show examples of regulatory boundaries.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show examples of business boundaries.

FIG. 6 is an example of multiple production boundaries.

FIG. 7 is another example illustrating multiple boundaries.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In crop recordkeeping systems, field production records can be tiedgeospatially to a field. There is a boundary associated with the field.However, reporting frequently needs to be performed at different spatialextents depending on the use of the information. Multiple boundary setsmay be used to keep records and run reports. Different types of boundarysets may include, without limitation, production boundaries, regulatoryboundaries, and business boundaries. The use of multiple boundary setsallows a crop recordkeeping system to more accurately produce reports ofvarious types in response to a producer's needs.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer with a croprecordkeeping system which is in operative communication with a datastore containing a plurality of boundary sets. In FIG. 1, a computer 2is shown. The computer 2 has a crop recordkeeping system 4. The croprecordkeeping system 4 may be one or more software applicationsexecuting on the computer and may be stored on a computer readablestorage medium of the computer 2. The computer 2 also has an associateddisplay 6. There is a data store 8 in operative communication with thecomputer 2. The data store 8 may contain data in the form of one or moreproduction boundary set(s), one or more regulatory boundary data set(s),and/or one or more business boundary set(s).

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B provide one example of a method associated withmaintaining separate boundary definitions. The field boundary set 12decision block allows a user to select one of three or more types ofboundaries, including a production boundary 14, a regulatory boundary26, and a business boundary 36. The method allows for one or moreproduction related boundary sets 14 to be used for record keeping andreporting. These can include a contiguous boundary field 16 andmulti-boundary field 18. The multi-boundary field 18 can include a twoboundary field 20, a three boundary field 22 or a production boundarydata set with four or more fields 24.

It is contemplated that in crop production there may be breaks in theoperations performed in a field which may be described using multipleboundary sets for a field. For example, if a ditch traverses a block ofland, a producer may farm both sides of the ditch. Thus, in such aninstance the field may be considered a multi-boundary field, oralternatively, the producer may consider there to be two separatefields. Similarly, a producer may have two or more different types ofcrops within the same field and may want to define separate boundariesfor each type of crop.

In addition to production boundary sets, the producer may specify aregulatory boundary set 26 to be used for record keeping and reporting.These can include a crop insurance boundary field 28, an EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) compliance boundary field 30, a Farm ServiceAgency (FSA) boundary field 32 and a state or local government boundaryfield 34.

Also, the producer may specify one or more business boundary sets 36 tobe used for record keeping and reporting. These can include a crop splitfield boundary 38, a shared expenses field boundary 40 and anowner/lease field boundary 42, or other type of business boundaries.

Although various examples are provided regarding reasons why a producermay choose to use a particular field boundary type for a particularpurpose or in performing a particular function, it is to be understoodthat one advantage of having multiple field boundary sets is that aproducer may be flexible in assigning field boundaries to suit theproducer's purposes.

Production boundaries may be used to display and report on how a pieceof land is farmed. One example is shown in FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B. In FIG.3A, a 160 acre section 60 is shown. A production boundary 14, which is acontiguous boundary field 16 is for the 160 acre section 60. Here, aproducer may farm a 160 acre section 60 as one contiguous piece ofground. As shown in FIG. 3B, the producer may farm across an oldfencerow 64 even though the producer owns one 80 acre section 62 andrents the other 80 acre section 66 from a landlord. Thus, the productionboundary 60 associated with the piece of land is different from theownership boundaries 62, 64. The producer utilizes the land this waybecause it may be more efficient than to farm sections 62 and 64 asseparate tracts of land. For example, fewer passes with equipment mayprovide for fuel savings and other efficiencies than farming the “two”fields as a single field. Thus, in such an instance the productionboundary set 14 differs from the business boundary set 36.

Regulatory boundaries may be used to report crop insurance, document EPAcompliance, FSA reporting, or state or local government compliance, orother types of regulations. These boundaries may be different than theproduction boundaries as can be seen in the examples of FIG. 4A to FIG.4B. As shown in FIG. 4A, a production boundary 14, which is a contiguousboundary field 16 is shown. A township line 70 is shown which traversesthe contiguous boundary field 16. There may be different insurance ratesassociated with these different townships. Thus, it is advantageous tothe producer to be able to separate a production field into twodifferent fields based on the relationship with the township.Alternatively, the producer may need to pay the higher insurance rateeven though a portion of the production field falls within a townshipwith a lower insurance rate. A first crop insurance boundary field 28Aand a second crop insurance boundary field 28B are shown. Thus, the croprecording keeping system allows a producer to maintain separate boundarysets for a piece of land.

FIG. 4B illustrates regulatory boundary data for EPA compliance 30.Erosion control practices may be used for agricultural operations tocontrol runoff and reduce the amount of soil erosion caused by thatrunoff. Land tracts 74 and 78 are divided by a creek 76. Non crop tracts30A and 30B may create a buffer zone between the land tracts 74 and 78from creek 76 thus assisting in preventing excess runoff. Thus, for EPAcompliance purposes, it may be useful to maintain EPA complianceboundaries 30A, 30B.

Business boundaries 36 may define financial relationships associatedwith tracts of land. One example of a crop split field 38 is shown inFIG. 5A, which illustrates three separate tracts 90, 92 and 94 withinfield 38 which has different seed corn varieties.

A farm may be operated on a 50-50 share basis with the landlord wheretract 96 is the landlords and tract 98 is the producers share. FIG. 5Billustrates where the landlord will only pick up 25 percent of the costfor a burndown herbicide. Land tract 100 shows the producers 75 percentliability and tract 102 shows the landlords 25 percent liability as tothe cost for the burndown herbicide.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the use of multiple productionboundaries being combined into a single production boundary such as fora task-specific purpose. In FIG. 6, production boundaries 120, 122, 124are shown. Different hybrids may be planted within each of theseproduction boundaries 120, 122, 124. The grower may plan to spray thesame product mix on each of the crops within these production boundaries120, 122, 124. Thus, for the task of spraying, the grower may combineeach of the fields or boundaries 120, 122, 124 into a single boundary126. This may be advantageous due to sprayer tank size, airplaneapplication limitations, or other reasons. Thus, multiple productionboundaries may provide additional benefits.

FIG. 7 illustrates another example of multiple boundaries. In FIG. 7, aboundary 132 is shown for areas of a field under irrigation. Dry landcorners 134, 136, 138, 140 are not under irrigations. The boundary 132may be used for agronomy and insurance purposes. However, the boundary130 may be used for planting in a single contiguous operation.

Thus, the use of multiple boundaries for different purposes may beadvantageous. This may include the use of multiple productionboundaries, and/or regulating boundaries, insurance boundaries,reporting boundaries, or other types of business boundaries.

Thus, various types of boundaries sets may be used for differentpurposes. In addition, a producer may persistently maintain theseboundaries which provides additional advantages to the producer,particular with respect to reporting.

It is to be appreciated that geospatial data may then be combined withboundary information for reporting purposes. For example, a producer mayreport on the crop yield associated with a particular productionboundary. Yield data and accompanying GPS data may be obtained from ayield monitor of a combine. Where the producer is sharing a crop with alandowner, the producer may report on the yield associated with abusiness boundary associated defined by land owned by the landowner,even though the producer did not farm the land as an individual field.Similarly, for regulatory purposes, a producer may produce a reportbased on established environmental boundaries regardless of how a fieldwas farmed. The use of multiple boundary sets allows the production datato be used for various types of reporting purposes.

The crop recordkeeping software can perform various functions using themultiple boundary sets and associated data (such as production data).Production data may include GPS data and associated production data(such as associated with harvest, planting, chemical application, andother operations). In addition, production data may include agriculturalinput data, and financial data associated with production data. Examplesof functions which may be performed include, without limitation:reporting yield, moisture, or crop type for a particular boundary;calculating revenue, expenses, or income for a particular boundary; andother functions.

Therefore a crop recordkeeping system and methods have been described.It is to be understood that numerous variations, alternatives, options,are contemplated as one skilled in the art having the benefit of thisdisclosure would appreciated. Thus, the present invention is not to belimited to any particular example or embodiment described herein.

1. A method of managing data in a computer implemented croprecordkeeping system, the method comprising: defining a plurality ofcrop field boundaries such that an area of land falls within each of theplurality of field boundaries, the plurality of field boundariescomprising a first crop field boundary and a second crop field boundary;maintaining the plurality of crop field boundaries within the croprecordkeeping system; using the first crop field boundary in performinga first function of the crop recordkeeping system executing on acomputer; and using the second crop field boundary in performing asecond function of the crop recordkeeping system executing on thecomputer.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of crop fieldboundaries further comprises a third crop field boundary.
 3. The methodof claim 2 further comprising using the third crop field boundary inperforming a third function of the crop recordkeeping system executingon the computer.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first crop fieldboundary is a regulatory field boundary and wherein the first functionis associated with regulatory compliance or regulatory reporting.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the first field boundary is a production fieldboundary and the second field boundary is an land ownership fieldboundary.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating cropproduction data with at least one of the crop field boundaries.
 7. Themethod of claim 6 wherein the crop production data comprises geospatialdata.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first function is selectedfrom the set consisting of determining yield associated with at leastone of the crop field boundaries, determining moisture associated withat least one of the crop field boundaries, determining revenueassociated with at least one of the crop field boundaries, determiningexpenses associated with at least one of the crop field boundaries, anddetermining income associated with at least one of the crop fieldboundaries.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of crop fieldboundaries includes a plurality of production boundaries.
 10. A croprecordkeeping system, comprising: a crop recordkeeping system executingon a computer, wherein the crop recordkeeping system provides for (a)defining a plurality of crop field boundaries such that an area of landfalls within each of the plurality of field boundaries, the plurality offield boundaries comprising a first crop field boundary and a secondcrop field boundary, (b) maintaining the plurality of crop fieldboundaries within the crop recordkeeping system, (c) using the firstcrop field boundary in performing a first function of the croprecordkeeping system executing on a computer, and (d) using the secondcrop field boundary in performing a second function of the croprecordkeeping system executing on the computer.
 11. The croprecordkeeping system of claim 10 wherein the plurality of crop fieldboundaries further comprises a third crop field boundary.
 12. The croprecordkeeping system of claim 11 wherein the crop recordkeeping systemfurther provides for using the third crop field boundary in performing athird function.
 13. The crop recordkeeping system of claim 10 whereinthe first crop field boundary is a regulatory field boundary and whereinthe first function is associated with regulatory compliance orregulatory reporting.
 14. The crop recordkeeping system of claim 10wherein the first field boundary is a production field boundary and thesecond field boundary is an land ownership field boundary.
 15. The croprecordkeeping system of claim 10 further comprising associating cropproduction data with at least one of the crop field boundaries.
 16. Thecrop recordkeeping system of claim 15 wherein the crop production datacomprises geospatial data.
 17. The crop recordkeeping system of claim 10wherein the first function is selected from the set consisting ofdetermining yield associated with at least one of the crop fieldboundaries, determining moisture associated with at least one of thecrop field boundaries, determining revenue associated with at least oneof the crop field boundaries, determining expenses associated with atleast one of the crop field boundaries, and determining incomeassociated with at least one of the crop field boundaries.
 18. The croprecordkeeping system of claim 10 wherein the first field boundary is aproduction field boundary and the second field boundary is a secondproduction field boundary.
 19. A method of managing data in croprecordkeeping software executing on a computer, the method comprising:defining a plurality of crop field boundaries such that an area of landfalls within each of the plurality of field boundaries, the plurality offield boundaries comprising a first crop field boundary and a secondcrop field boundary; maintaining the plurality of crop field boundarieswithin the crop recordkeeping system; using the plurality of crop fieldboundaries in performing functions of the crop recordkeeping softwareexecuting on the computer.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein theplurality of crop field boundaries comprises production boundaries,regulatory boundaries, and business boundaries.